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This week gets hot and heavy, especially at the beautiful Kauffman Center, where you might as well pitch a tent to be in line daily, as their week is chock-full of events!
The big show of course, will be Luke Combs and friends out at Arrowhead, but Starlight and KCLive! have some outdoor action as well, with the end of the week looking even busier.
A Tomlinson invasion too (singer Louis at Starlight and comedian Taylor downtown, no relation)!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/ Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from June 9th-15th.
FRIDAY JUNE 9
Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- Riff Generation, Medallion Theater,$22.50 (kids free)
June installment featuring a new jazz ensemble that cultivates new music alongside Kansas City’s fabled heritage of the genre. Part of a stand-alone performance series of new, highly collaborative compositions in a modern examination of the Kansas City “riff style.” Musicians audition for a one-year residency and perform these works in a variety of settings. Ticket Link here.
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Knuckleheads. $20
Melding together the sounds of gospel, funk, soul, blues, and garage-rock, NPR once exclaimed about him, "James Brown hasn't been reincarnated, but Black Joe Lewis sure does follow in his footsteps." 
Last year’s The Difference Between Me & You is their fifth studio album. And while it’s an approach that might veer slightly from the typical sounds those who’ve followed the band are used to hearing, it was a conscious step in a new direction for Lewis. When asked, Lewis says he wanted to “make a more complex and reflective record” than he had before. We caught him live a decade ago in Minneapolis.
Arrive early for Special Guest Womanish Girl (aka Katy Guillen & Stephanie Williams). Guillen is an area favorite who we caught live in Lawrence at the end of last year and returns to this same venue in August as well.
SATURDAY JUNE 10
Luke Combs w Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Flatland Cavalry, and Brent Cobb, Arrowhead Stadium, $54.50-$277
Luke Combs' 2023 tour began in Texas and plans to end in London with stops in Australia, Norway, Belgium, Ireland and more along the way. The CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee's World Tour will hit three continents and 16 countries, and the lineup is packed with rising Country stars, including Lainey Wilson, who recently played a filled KC show just ahead of the NFL Draft.
Prepare for some stadium drinking as plenty of Combs’ songs such as "Beer Never Broke My Heart," "Cold as You" and "Cold Beer Calling My Name” encourage a beverage in hand.
Louis Tomlinson, Starlight, $35-$99.50
The UK singer / songwriter and one-fifth of One Direction is out in support of his second album, "Faith In The Future." Live, he’s been 
playing a couple numbers from his old band as well as an Arctic Monkeys cover. In 2021, Louis earned his spot in the Guinness Book Of World Records for breaking the record for the most live-streamed concert by a solo male artist. Louis hosted one of the biggest live-stream concert events ever held, selling more than 160,000 tickets to fans in over 110 countries.
Shawn Phillips, Knuckleheads. $35
The longtime folk singer/songwriter has been touring regularly since the late 60’s.
Taylor Tomlinson (comedian) June 10 and 11, The Midland, $29.75-$69.75
The rising comedian brings The Have it All Tour to Kansas City for not one, but Two nights! 
The New York Times says Tomlinson “demonstrates tight joke writing, carefully honed act-outs and a ruthless appetite for laughs” in her second hour-long special, Look At You, now streaming on Netflix.
New York Magazine adds, “Watching Tomlinson gives you the same comfort as a Swift concert or a Broadway show that’s been on for years. This is a professional. This performance will be ultra-produced. You do not need to be anxious,” and the Los Angeles Times observes.
SUNDAY JUNE 11
Barenaked Ladies w/Semisonic & Del Amitri, Starlight, $29.50-$125
Still not the actual last summer (thankfully) those fun-loving rockers are out on their 7th almost-annual Last Summer on Earth 2023 Tour. The Toronto-based eight-time JUNO winners and two-time Grammy nominees are playing three dozen shows in venues all over. We caught the first year live back in 2015 and have enjoying seeing the changing lineups ever since.
Special guests, Minneapolis’ own Semisonic and Scottish rockers Del Amitri will play extended opening sets, so arrive early.
Weezer w Modest Mouse, Momma, Azura Amph,-Bonner Springs, $35-$125
Billed as Weezer’s Indie Rock Roadtrip! This spring and summer touring package is among the best out there for the season. Weezer’s latest releases were a string of seasonal—or Sznz—EPs: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Their last full album, Van Weezer, arrived in 2021. The band was forced to cancel a planned Broadway run earlier this year, “due to low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses” but the plus side to that, is they’re on the road again with another local date. Our coverage with them dates us all the way back to 1994, when they were a wee opening band! 
As for Modest Mouse, we remain huge fans, seeing them live in September AND December of last year, and despite the death of founding drummer Jeremiah Green late last year, still remain on the road. The Portland band’s sometimes temperamental appearances have seemed to have leveled out as singer Isaac Brock ages, and they’ve become a more consistent band to again always see live. LA indie rockers Momma have a new single, “Bang Bang” out now.
Future Stages Festival, Kauffman Center, FREE!
Join the celebration and experience the arts in Kansas City as the annual one-day festival invites everyone to explore a diverse range of performances and interactive arts activities. This free admission event is a community event that showcases youth in the performing arts and is an extension of the Kauffman Center’s Open Doors Spotlight on Youth program. Featuring a variety of performing arts organizations and arts activity partners – the festival provides fun for ALL ages! Tickets are not required, but registrants will receive updated details regarding the performance and activity schedule Learn more here:
Tyrese / Trey Songz, June 11, T-Mobile Center, CANCELED
MONDAY JUNE 12
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Kauffman Center. $50.50-$100.50
Following last year’s bluegrass tour, banjoist, composer and bandleader, Béla Fleck has reconvened the original line-up of the 
Grammy-winning quartet, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. While all manner of genres comes into play— from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances, the real treat is Fleck’s own banjo-playing and the musical interactions. Fifteen Grammy Award wins in nine different fields of music, need we say more?
TUESDAY JUNE 13
Nickel Creek with Gaby Moreno, Kauffman Center. $47.50-$197.50
The platinum-selling,renowned roots trio of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins and guitarist Sean Watkins comes together to tour again (each is a solo star in their own right) in the city’s most beautiful indoor venue. The trio revolutionized bluegrass and folk in the early 2000s and ushered in a new era of what we now recognize as Americana music. After a nine-year absence, the trio returns in 2023 with new album, Celebrants, released March 24 and no less than thirty-four years of previous music to draw from.
Opener Gaby Moreno was raised in Guatemala and immersed herself in blues, R&B and soul and learned to speak English by singing. Her original blend of jazz, soul, blues and 1960s rock has earned her the respect and appreciation of audiences and in 2013, she received a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. VIP experience tickets available.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 14
The Doobie Brothers, Starlight, $36-$176
Four-time GRAMMY® Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Doobie Brothers are continuing their landmark 
50th Anniversary Tour, through October 2023, featuring Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons and John McFee on the road together for the first time in over 25 years. Unfortunately, due to a nagging back injury, Tom Johnston is unable to join for the foreseeable future.
The band just returned from Australia, Japan and Singapore. Selling some 50 million albums worldwide, The Doobie Brothers have had five top-10 singles, 16 top-40 hits, 3 multi-platinum albums, 7 platinum albums, 14 gold albums and own a 10M+ sold diamond record for their 1976 album, Best of the Doobies.
THURSDAY JUNE 15
Tyler Childers w Marcus King, Starlight, SOLD OUT
One of the biggest recent breakouts and tix have been long gone (this show and about every other date) Kentucky-born and raised singer-songwriter Tyler Childers will bring his unique mix of country, bluegrass, and folk music to a sold-out Starlight.
Childers' previous album, Purgatory debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and his fifth and latest studio album Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven was released to acclaim last September. He was playing clubs just a few short years ago.
Arrive early for 27-year-old guitar sensation Marcus King whose 2020 album El Dorado received a nomination for Best Americana Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Pat Metheny, Kauffman Center, $56.50-$136.50
Kansas City's own Pat Metheny has garnered from critics and peers for decades now. Over the years, he's won countless polls as 
“Best Jazz Guitarist” and awards including three gold records and no less than 20 Grammy Awards. Designed as an ongoing showcase featuring a rotating cast of players, Metheny's Side-Eye project will shine a spotlight on two sensational rising stars: pianist Chris Fishman and drummer Joe Dyson.
Fear with Bastard Squad, Lemonade Park. $42.49
FEAR is the legndary punk rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1978, and nothing else needs to be said.
St. Louis, MO's Bastard Squad mix both new and old school punk & hardcore, crafting it into their own style. Founded in 1996, the band reformed in 2018 and features current and ex-members of DFL, Better Days, Very Metal and Breakmouth Annie. Since reforming they have put out 3 records and played with bands like The Adicts. T.S.O.L, and Conflict.
Gov’t Mule, Grinders KC. $49-$75
Jam legends Warren Haynes (guitar, lead vocals), Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keys, 
guitar, backing vocals), and Jorgen Carlsson (bass) on out on a short Spring tour, before beginning another bigger leg which also celebrates with their version of Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon". Expect plenty of covers and originals regardless and a full evening of jams as only the 'Mule can do.
Priscilla Block w/ Dalton Dover, KC Live, Free!
Rising star Priscilla Block released her debut album last February titled Welcome to the Block Party. The singer-songwriter is originally from Raleigh, NC but moved to Nashville to pursue music after graduating high school. Once in Nashville, she worked at a yogurt shop and took night classes while working on her original music. She also credits TikTok as one of the reasons for her rise in popularity and has over 1.7 million followers and 29.6 million likes.
Arrive early for new Country artist Dalton Dover, named a Pandora 2023 Artist to Watch, an Amazon Music 2023 Breakthrough Artist to Watch: Country Class and a member of CMT’s LISTEN UP 2023. This summer, Dover can also be found on the bill with Chase Rice, opening for Luke Combs at Gillette Stadium stop in July, and select dates with Parker McCollum among festival and headlining shows. 
Cub Sport, Encore at Uptown, $18
The Australian indie popsters announced a North American tour in support of their new album, Jesus at the Gay Bar which came out in April. New single "Songs About It" should be played along with several other down under bangers.
Pam Tillis, Knuckleheads, $35
A longtime act in her own right, she’s the daughter of Country Music legend Mel Tillis and multi-media artist Doris Tillis. In addition to music, she's an actor with a long list of film, TV and stage credits.
Tillis’ 1991 debut country album, Put Yourself In My Place, went Gold and yielded two No. 1 and two Top 5 singles and next three albums – Homeward Looking Angel, Sweetheart’s Dance and Greatest Hits, were all certified Platinum. She's achieved six No.1 songs and hits include “Shake the Sugar Tree,” “Mi Vida Loca,” “When You Walk In The Room,” “In Between Dances,” “Don’t Tell Me What To Do,” and signature song, “Maybe It Was Memphis.”
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